Iraq News (3 July)

The Good:

• WaPo reports on progress in the negotiations for the US-Iraq agreement to allow U.S. troops to operate beyond 2008
• The Jordanian King is scheduled to visit Iraq in the first such visit since the fall of Saddam
• The Maysan governor has been detained and the AFP is reporting that it is because he has ties to the Sadrists. Not sure what the full story is here.
• Iraqi businessmen are calling for more Japanese investment in the reconstruction biz at an investors conference in Jordan
• Long War Journal reports on a water distribution site in New Baghdad (w/ photos)

The Bad:

• Brief story about the high toll on U.S. females in Iraq, more than any other conflict, with 97 deaths since 2003

The Ugly:

• WSJ has Douglas Feith explaining why invading Iraq was a good idea in a move that will get him scoffed at tomorrow in the blogosphere
• NY Times reports some shadiness between the Hunt Oil company and the autonomous Kurdish regional government. The CEO has close ties with Bush and Friends
• Iraq actually becomes an election issue (how novel!) as there are rumors that Obama might not call for an unconditional withdrawal and McCain turn up the pressure cooker prior to Obama's Iraq visit
• Some bozo at Alternet says something about Hitchens getting waterboarded, something about torture in Iraq (the U.S. military is actually forbidden from waterboarding for interrogation), and something about imperialism...good for your early morning angry liberal guy outrage
• The AP talks about personal politics for military members. If you thought servicemembers were apolitical, you need to hang out around here more often

"The Man" stands accused of shady oil deals with the Kurds